A. R.'s Garden

Comments (2)

CompostTurner writes: Yes, you can work with beds tall enough for a wheelchair-bound gardener. While I am not in a wheelchair, I tried taller beds last year just to see if they would work. I liked the idea that I could garden without bending over so far.

My beds are constructed of landscape timbers stacked (and screwed) atop one another, and lined with aluminum sheets before the soil goes in. The first I built are 24" tall, and that seems to be a good height, and especially so for someone in a wheelchair. The thing to remember is make them rather more narrow than for non-handicapped individuals, as reaching across will be a potential issue.

A bed that tall will take a lot of soil, but the important and most fertile soil will need to be in the growing zone at the top of the bed, so you can fill the lower 12" or so with poorer soil or whatever you have on hand. Then finish filling the bed with your better soil. I found that two feet of soil tended to settle a bit, so this year I will have to supplement the good soil at the top of the bed with enough to fill the bin to the top again.

I like the idea so well, both in theory and in practice, that I am adding 4 more 30 foot long beds this year.

By the way, the better soil in the topmost region of these beds is composed of 1/3 compost, 1/3 sand, and the final 1/3 is the old soil I took out of the original bed(s) that I deconstructed. I mixed this all together and took that opportunity to remove any unwanted roots and rocks before I added it to the bed.

Good luck with the bed(s). I think you'll find they work really well. Remember to keep the pathways around them as flat and smooth as possible for ease of getting your chair around.
Posted: 9:16 am on March 17th

Reneet88 writes: I would love to be able to have raised beds.For many reasons I have a Weimanier & a Golden Retriver.and a whole lot of fireants.Do you think that its possible to make one that tall?& me be able to work in it?I am in a wheelchair.

I love the wooden toys. Myself I love to paint ceramics,wooden things but mostly ceramics.